Street sign and traffic signal



March 25, 1930. E..J. STONE STREET SIGN AND TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed April 12, 1928 QQQ Q Patented Mar. 25, 1930 PATENT OFFICE EDMUND J. STONE, OF NEW, YORK, N. Y.

STREET SIGN AND TRAFFIC SIGNAL Application filed April 12,

This invention relates to street sign and traffic signals as used at the intersection of highways or streets, one of its objects being to convey information of highly desirable nature to travellers as to the names of the streets at their corners, and also towards what points of the compass they extend. As is well known, strangers when readingstreet signs are not'always able to determine which direction is east or west, ornorth'or south,

and in many cases this information is important, especially to drivers of motor cars.

It is also obvious that this device can be used to advantage in country or suburban districts where the points of the compass are frequently of the greatest importance.

A further feature is to combine with such street signs a series of colored lights acting as traffic signals, these lights appearing in 2 a chamber adjacent the signs and also showing through the signs rendering the legends plainly visible during darkness.

Another aim is to provide means whereby the signs may be "changed at will and the.

interior of the sign casings readily cleaned.

These important objects are accomplished by the novel design,,construction and combination of parts as hereinafter described and shown in the annexed drawing forming a material part hereof and in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a combined street sign and traflic signal as made in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the signal chamber, showing the parts therein and rear view of thesign, the cover being removed.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a preferred arrangement of the devices as at, tached to a support.

The pole or mast, designated by the numeral 5, is of the usual conventional type as employed in carrying street lights and obviously is hollow to accommodate conductors leading to the lamps used.

Secured at a suitable height on the pole 5 is an encircling clamp 6 having two or more tubular supports 7 arranged at right angles one with another and upturned at 1928. Serial No. 269,499.

and preferably the points of the casings are arranged in close proximity to the pole 5.

The central panels are engaged by inreaching narrow flanges 17 and the end panels by corresponding flanges 18, permitting interchange of the panels which bear any desired inscription, preferably in dense black upon the panels which are transparent.

Rear cover plates are provided to complete the casings, these plates being attached by hinges 20, either at their top or bottom edges and held when in operative position by clips 21, and all of the casing elements are provided with ventilating perforations 22.

Secured to the blunt outer ends of the casing 8 by spot welding or like rigid means, are. the convergent end members of rectangular sheet metal containers 23 having perforations 24 in their walls, and provided with removable outer end plates 25.

The front wall may support transparent panels 26 bearing inscriptions regarding the streets and fixed to the inner side of the plates 25 are blocks 27 in which are set three sockets 28, each containing a lamp 29, the colors being preferably red, white and green, in accordance with the traflic rules.-

Set in the containers 23, at their junction with the casings 8, is a lens 30 by which light from any of'the lamps 29, is transmitted to the interiors of the casings, and in order to increase. the lighting effect, reflectors 31 are fixed in the containers in such manner as to concentrate and direct the light from the lamps through the lens into the casings 8, causing it to show through the transparent panels so that the legends are plainly visible.

It will be understood that current passing .through the poles 5 is branched to extend through the clamp 6, and supports 7 to the socket blocks 27 and that the lamps are operated by the same circuit that conveys current to the street lights and changed in accordance therewith.

Although the foregoing is descriptive of the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that minor changes may be made in its construction, without the exercise of invention or conflicting with the scope of the claims hereto appended.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A street intersecting sign comprising a pair of casings extending in the direction of the intersecting streets, panels in the fronts of said casings to show respectively the name of the streets and direction in which the streets extend, said panels being removably engaged, cover plates hinged at the rear of said casings, lamp containers communicating with remote ends of said casing, a

series of 'diflerently colored lamps in each container to show through the casing panels,

and transparent panels in the front walls of said containers bearing legends relating to the streets.

2. The combination with a street light pole, of a pair of street sign casings having transparent panels bearing the names of intersecting streets and the direction in which the streets extend, lamp containers at the re- 1 mote ends of said casings, a series of varicolored lamps therein, and lenses at the junctions of said containers and casings whereby the latter may be illuminated when any of the lamps are in operation.

3. The combination with a street light pole, of a pair of street sign casings having transparent panels bearing the names of intersecting streets and the direction in which the streets extend, said casings having sharp and blunt ends, the sharp ends being contiguous to the pole, containers attached to the blunt ends of said casings,a series of v difl'erently colored lamps in said. containers, reflectors in said containers to direct light into the casings, and lenses to receive light prior to entering the casings.

4. The combination with a street light pole, of a pair of street sign casings having transparent panels bearing the names of intersecting streets and the direction in which the streets extend, said casings having sharp and blunt ends, the sharp ends being conti uous to the pole, the walls of said casings eing perforate, cover plates hingedly engaged at the rear of said casing, means for detachably engaging the panels to the front walls of said casings from the inner sides thereof, con- 

